The reasoning behind allowing independents to vote in the party primaries (open ones) is in order to better reflect the will of the People, and to help select candidates which have viability for the general election.
What good does it do to nominate a party extremist if they can't garner enough votes to win a general election?
In any event, Donald Trump did well in both open and closed GOP primaries.
Ted Cruz, on the other hand, hardly won any primaries at all. Almost all of Ted Cruz's victories were in caucus states, which are sparsely attended and which rely on collectivist groupthink and peer pressure in order to grease the skids for the candidate favored by the party "insiders".
I have lost so much respect for Ted Cruz, I hope I'm never again faced with the need to vote for him for anything. He's an absolute disgrace at this point, talking past reality as if he can summon his own universe by endlessly repeating his hollow talking points.
I mean, come on, Ted, please get a grip. Either support your party's nominee or go away...
Vote Trump!
Cruz promised his voters he would go to DC and behave a certain way. He did that when nearly everyone, including most on his side wanted Cruz hung by the neck using piano pitch wire while on tiptoes so his death would be slow and torturous. He told the United States that our leaders in DC were selling us out whenever they could.
My guess is he did it when his own family could happily avoid the notoriety.
He did it when well meaning advice was contrary.
I'm an old buzzard, but in my upbringing, what Cruz did took courage.
A few times in my life I have taken a run at something I wanted and failed to get it. Once I spent myself to exhaustion for several years only to lose in the end.
I'll always harken back to that courage thing. This will likely never happen, but if Cruz ever gets close enough to me, I will proudly shake his hand.
To call him a low life these days is lame, lame, lame.
None whatsoever. That doesn't give the right to non members to pick the standard bearer. If Republicans choose poorly, that's life in the fast lane.
I wanted Cruz to win the nomination. I think a debate between Cruz and clinton would have been the best entertainment of the decade.
This fall I want Trump to win. I do like the fact that he pushes back in a way that we have been pleading for Republicans to do for, what, nearly three decades?
What good does it do to nominate a party extremist if they can’t garner enough votes to win a general election?
Open primaries gave McCain and Romney.
How did they do in the general election?